


The Heat of Your Skin (The Trouble I'm in)

by eyesofshinigami



Series: The Birthday Collective [8]
Category: The Witcher (TV), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: 69 (Sex Position), Blow Jobs, But Jaskier is here to help, Catskier, Eskel Has Self-Esteem Issues (The Witcher), M/M, Mentions of Aiden/Lambert, Monster of the Week, Witcher Jaskier | Dandelion, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-24
Updated: 2020-11-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 08:01:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27700046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eyesofshinigami/pseuds/eyesofshinigami
Summary: Eskel comes across a fellow witcher in need. He wasn't expecting that same witcher to decide to keep him.orChaotic Neutral Cat!Jaskier takes quite the shine to Eskel.
Relationships: Eskel/Jaskier | Dandelion
Series: The Birthday Collective [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1910632
Comments: 34
Kudos: 330





	The Heat of Your Skin (The Trouble I'm in)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [KHansen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KHansen/gifts).



> A very, very happy birthday to the very, very dear KHansen, whom I adore and hope has a great day because she deserves it. You're a peach and I like your face a lot.
> 
> Also, this may become a series, because I've become quite attached to my Catskier, lol. Plus, I'll take any excuse to write these two again.

It’s the familiar clang of a sword, the deafening roar of a wyvern that echoes through the clearing that draws Eskel’s attention. Part of him thinks he should keep going, because two witchers in one place usually means a quarrel, but a bigger part of him whispers _what if it’s Geralt or Lambert?_ With a sigh, he steers Scorpion towards the direction where the commotion is coming from. 

He climbs down and unsheathes his silver sword, leaving Scorpion to munch on some roadside weeds as he stalks towards the fight he can hear in the distance. The scent of blood is thick in the air, both the wyvern’s and the witcher that’s fighting him. He knows it’s a witcher from the off-scent that all their blood carries, laced with the heavy scent of a cocktail of potions. Fuck, was this fool trying to kill himself? If it’s one of his idiot brothers, he’s never going to let them live down being so damn careless. 

The trees give way to a meadow and Eskel can see someone darting around the wyvern, almost like a dance. The beast lets out a roar and the witcher matches it with his own cry of fury, before he drives his silver sword beneath its wing. The wyvern falls, but not before lashing out with its tail in its death throes, sending the other witcher sprawling on the ground with a sickening _crack_. Before he can think better of it, Eskel is on his feet and he swings, severing the beast’s head before it can do any more damage. It flies off with a clean swipe and lands somewhere nearby, and Eskel makes a note to find it so the other witcher can get paid. 

Now that the wyvern’s dead, he steps carefully towards the man that’s lying face down in the grass. He can make out the sound of his heartbeat, faint but there, and can smell the blood that’s still pulsing out onto the ground. Fuck, he needs to get him stablized before he bleeds out. He’s already thinking over what he has in his pack, what he’ll need to get the other witcher back on his feet. 

He’s distracted enough that he barely has enough time to move when the other witcher swipes out at him, the end of a dagger catching him across the arm. It’s his own fault, really, because he knows in his bones that he would have done the same thing if their positions were reversed. The witcher sways up onto his knees, shaky, but his bloodied teeth are bared and his pitch black eyes are molten with anger. “Here to take my kill now, I suppose? Fucking hell,” the witcher hisses, flipping the dagger into his hand for another strike. 

Eskel takes a step back and raises his hands, though he’s pretty sure he could knock this other witcher over with a strong breath, if he tried. “Not at all. I just heard the ruckus and came to see what was going on,” he says as evenly as he can. He takes a minute to get a good look at the other witcher. He’s pretty, almost obscenely so, with brown hair streaked through with silver, reminding him a bit of Geralt and a scar through his eyebrow and across his nose. His shoulders are broad, but his waist is lithe, strength coiled in his limbs like a snake waiting to strike. The Cat medallion is unmistakable against his chest and Eskel resolves to tread carefully. “Look, you’re injured, and I’m here. If you let me, I could help patch you up and keep watch while you rest.” 

“Why?” the Cat asks, not lowering his dagger. The wound in his side is spreading and Eskel doesn’t miss the way he’s struggling to stay upright, can see it in the tremble of his legs and hear it in the wet sounds of his breathing. 

A fair question. Eskel’s not really sure he knows the answer himself. “Because I don’t think you’re going to make it back to the village, and I’m here, so why not?” is what he decides to go with. 

The Cat regards him with a raised eyebrow, and after a long beat of silence he finally lets his body sag. A show of trust, Eskel suspects, but he doesn’t think for one second the Cat won’t strike again if he feels threatened. “Fine. But don’t expect me to help you set up. I may very well pitch over if I move too much. Swallow and bandages first?” There’s a strange, almost musical quality to his voice, and Eskel thinks he wouldn’t mind listening to him talk more. 

Eskel nods and sheaths his sword, walking over to the Cat and wrapping his arm around his shoulders to get him on his feet. He quickly grabs the other witcher’s swords and sheaths them too, helping the Cat hobble back towards where Scorpion is still casually munching away. He can come back for the head once he gets the other witcher settled. 

“Oh, well at least your horse stays where it's put. My fool steed is prone to wandering off. Surprised the stupid thing hasn’t been carried off by a griffin yet,” the Cat babbles, his eyes clouding over a little. Eskel had hoped he’d be able to get a campsite set up before he started tending his wounds, but he’s not sure the Cat’s going to make it that long. The veins in his face have started to go back, the shocking blue of his eyes starting to bleed through the toxicity. He’s never seen a witcher with eyes that color before, and it causes his breath to catch in his throat.

Eskel fumbles to find something to say, anything to distract him from how caught he is by the Cat’s eyes. “Scorpion was trained by my brother. He’s got an eye for good witcher’s horses.” Why did he say that? The Cat’s not going to care, especially not after he said his own horse was less than ideal. 

The Cat stares up at him with hazy eyes and grins, the barest hint of fangs caught on his bottom lip. “Is that a fact? Hmm. Maybe I’ll have to look him up when Pegasus finally kicks the bucket. Thankfully she’s stabled for now, or this probably would have been worse. Are we at the camp yet? I think my insides might be trying to become my outsides.” The Cat lets out a musical warble and he starts to laugh, edging on the hysterical. “At least I’ll die in the arms of a handsome Wolf who was kind enough to save me. Are you sure you aren’t a Griffin? They’re known for being chivalrous, you know.” 

“Very sure. You talk a lot for a witcher, you know that?” Eskel says, feeling his ears going hot at the Cat’s words. It’s been a very long time since someone called him handsome. “And I’m not going to let you die.” _Talkative and dramatic_ , Eskel thought to himself, trying not to smile. He’s heard Lambert’s tales of the Cats and their...unique mutagens that make them prone to dramatics and bouts of intense emotions, but he certainly wasn’t expecting this. “I’m Eskel, in case you were curious.” 

“Curiosity killed the cat, you know,” the other witcher says with that same grin, before he licks the blood off the corner of his mouth. Eskel will deny that he watches the movement with more fascination than he ought to. 

“And satisfaction brought it back,” Eskel replies as they break through the trees, carrying him into another smaller clearing tucked into the forest. It’s more defensible should they be attacked, and Eskel feels better about treating the injured Cat further away from the road. He sets him down as gently as he can before he sets to work. 

He pretends not to notice the way the other witcher is quietly watching him as he unpacks Scorpion, who thankfully had followed behind them without Eskel having to call him. He moves about the makeshift camp and gets what he needs set up, starting a fire before he drops to his knees next to the Cat. He’s pale and clammy, his skin hot to the touch and Eskel’s starting to worry that he might be too late. “Here,” he offers, handing the Cat the corked bottle of Swallow to take. “I’m going to rip your shirt off so I can see your wounds better. Please don’t stab me.” 

At first, the Cat says nothing, drinking down the potion with a grimace and tossing the bottle to the side. He lets out a sigh and closes his eyes. “At least buy me dinner first, handsome Eskel. That’s no way to treat a lady,” he teases, as he peeks one blue eye open. 

Eskel snorts as he gets out his sewing supplies and quickly sanitizes the needle, just in case he needs it. Bandages, a flask of White Gull, and a strip of leather round out his kit and he starts helping the other witcher out of his armor. He’s done this so many times for his brothers, it feels like muscle memory, but he notes that the Cat’s armor is lighter, more compact than his own or the armor Geralt favors. “Jaskier.”

“What?”

The Cat takes a shallow, rattly breath that has Eskel thinking his ribs might be broken. “My name is Jaskier of Kerack. Now you can know what to call me. Seems only fitting we’re introduced, since you’re about to stick your hands into my side. Also, please mind the ribs. I can feel them knitting back together and I’d hate for you to have to break them again.” He’s still watching Eskel as he sets to work, his gaze unreadable. The only reaction he has is the occasional flinch when Eskel packs the bleeding wound, which has already started to slow, and starts sewing him up. 

When he’s finished, he wraps Jaskier up to keep his ribs from shifting and to keep out infection, pleased with his work. “All right, how are you feeling? Do you need more Swallow? I can grab another mmph-!” 

The last thing he was expecting was Jaskier to be on his feet, kissing him like the world is going to end if he doesn’t. He can taste the bitter remnants of the potion on the tongue that’s licking into his mouth, as well as the coppery taste of old blood and something sweet, like the Cat’s own scent. He’s stunned, unable to return the kiss until the Cat is pulling back, pupils blown wide and licking his lips. “I should have asked, I know, but you’re just standing there very kissable and I would also really like to get my mouth on you.”

Eskel feels like he could be knocked over with a harpy feather. Who says that to people, least of all him? “Uh… maybe some dinner first? You need the energy to finish healing,” he says lamely, still trying to get his brain back in order and process what just happened. The taste of the Jaskier lingers in his mouth and on his tongue and he suddenly _wants_ in a way he hasn't in a long, long time. “I’ll go catch us something.” 

“Don’t take too long, dear heart. I expect to be sucking your cock before the sun goes down!” Jaskier calls out as Eskel beats a hasty retreat. 

He uses the time away from the injured Cat to think and to clear his head a bit, away from tantalizing blue eyes and a pretty mouth that he can still taste, pressing it into the roof of his mouth. Lambert mentioned his “friend” Aiden once or twice, about his fits of temper and his penchant for flights of fancy, so Eskel is careful not to put too much stock into Jaskier’s offer. He’ll snag them some dinner and they’ll eat together, then off to bed and when the sun rises, Eskel’s sure he’ll never see the Cat again. He ignores the pang in his chest at the idea, sharpening his focus to catching them some dinner.

After snagging a couple of rabbits, he circles back to grab the wyvern head to bring back to their camp so Jaskier can complete his contract. He’s not expecting the other witcher to be laying on his bedroll, propped up on one arm and lazing like...well, a cat. “There you are, love. I was beginning to wonder if I was going to have to come find you. Oh, and my trophy! You really are too kind, my Eskel.” 

It takes every single ounce of Eskel’s careful control of his bodily responses not to shudder when he hears the possessiveness in that singular word. He should tell him to fuck off, that he doesn’t belong to anyone, least of all a Cat whom he just met. What he says instead is, “Didn’t want you to get stiffed on the contract.” 

“Mm, next you’re going to tell me you can cook, too,” Jaskier purrs, rubbing the front of his breeches. The campsite blooms with the rich, warm smell of arousal and Eskel fights to keep still, even as his cock starts to thicken in his trousers. He’s distracted enough with the rabbits that he doesn’t notice Jaskier get up, doesn’t hear him move until suddenly there’s a Cat draped across his back, purring in his ear. “Oh, darling, I can smell you from over there. Even when I was prepared to slit your throat for stealing my kill, I couldn’t help but notice how handsome you are. Are all Wolves as lovely as you?” 

He can’t deny it, not when Jaskier is pressed so close that his hard cock is digging into Eskel’s back and the spicy, rich smell of the Cat’s arousal is filling his nose. His mouth drops open so he can taste the scent on the roof of his mouth and it makes his cock twitch and start to leak. “You just met me,” he says, swallowing around the taste in his mouth. He knows he’s getting in his own way, but he can’t quite believe that another witcher, another _person_ would want him like this. 

“Doesn’t matter. You picked me up, stitched me back together, and got me dinner. Seems like it’s only fair to balance the scales, doesn’t?” 

The words are like a bucket of cold water splashed over the top of Eskel’s head, slithering down in his spine and embedding themselves into his heart. Of course that’s what this is, equivalent exchange and nothing more. His mouth turns down and he bucks Jaskier off of him, getting to his feet to move to the other side of the fire and grabbing the rabbits to clean. “You don’t owe me anything. I’m sure you would have done the same,” he says flatly, focusing on gutting and skinning the rabbits. 

There’s a beat of silence and then Jaskier is kneeling in front of him and Eskel stubbornly refuses to look at him, until he hears a soft, “Eskel?” He should ignore it, but Jaskier sounds so adrift that he can’t stop himself. Jaskier’s eyes are round and he’s biting at his lip, looking contrite in a way that Eskel didn’t expect. “I fear I must have hurt you with my careless words. That wasn’t my intention. I’m grateful to you for helping me, of course, but that’s not why I propositioned you.” 

Eskel curls his lip and tries to sneer, but his heart isn’t in it. “Oh? Then why did you?” 

“Because you’re kind, and thoughtful. You’re also built like a brick shithouse and you’re handsome as fuck, that’s why.” The same rich, spicy smell from earlier swirls around Eskel and he desperately tries to keep his wits about him. “Tell me, are you as generous a lover as your brother is?” 

“Which one? I’m guessing you mean Lambert.” 

Jaskier laughs and the sound is musical, sweeter than the laugh of a witcher should be. “Aiden likes to brag,” he offers in explanation, draping himself across Eskel’s back again. The scent of him makes Eskel’s eyes roll back in his head and he isn’t sure he’s going to be able to say no again. “He likes to tell me all about how good his Lambert is in bed, how pretty his cock is. But I’ve never really cared, not until you stumbled upon me today. Now, I’m eager to have a Wolf of my own to brag about.” 

The possessive thrill shoots up Eskel’s spine again and his resolve crumbles, reaching out to pull Jaskier into another kiss. This time he’s leading, heat coiling in his belly as Jaskier melts and purrs against him, kissing back with the same fervor as before. The taste of him makes Eskel’s head spin and he wants so much he feels like he might drown in it. When they pull apart, Jaskier chases his mouth and the eagerness makes heat pool low in Eskel’s belly. 

“I meant what I said, darling Eskel. I want to get my mouth on your cock, and I want it right now,” the Cat purrs as he kisses along Eskel’s jawline, hands kneading at the front of his shirt until he tugs it over his head, quick like the strike of a snake. “Oh… you’re even more magnificent with your shirt off. Mmm.” Jaskier leans down and rubs his cheek down the length of Eskel’s chest and belly, and it takes him far longer than it should to realize Jaskier is _scenting_ him. That thought alone makes his cock flex in his breeches, well on his way to hard by now. “Now everyone who matters will know you’re mine, my Wolf.”

“No one has ever wanted to keep me before,” Eskel admits, far too honestly. He’s not sure what it is about this Cat that makes him want to flay his chest open and lay himself bare like this.

Jaskier’s eyes flash, pupils blowing wide as he leans down again and licks along the thick line of hair that leads to the band of his trousers. “More fool them, and now you’re mine. Their loss,” he says as he starts to paw at the fastenings. It takes him what feels like half a second to have them open and Jaskier is pulling his cock out, the purring in his chest ratcheting up again. “Aiden wasn’t kidding, you really are all hung like the gods, aren’t you?” 

Eskel’s face goes hot and he turns away, tongue flicking along the notch in his lip. He knows he’s… gifted, has been told before how deliciously thick his cock is, but seeing Jaskier eye him like the world’s greatest prize is almost too much. He watches the Cat lick his lips as he starts to stroke, Eskel’s cock thickening under his touch. It’s a tease and Eskel’s head falls back with a groan. “I guess...never compared before.”

“You shouldn’t, because nothing could compare to this beautiful cock you have here. And I’m going to show you just how much I appreciate it.” Jaskier doesn’t give him a chance to reply before he’s wrapping his lips around Eskel’s cock, flicking his tongue across the slit and giving the head a hard suck that makes his hips jump off the ground. The Cat looks unconcerned and starts to bob down, swallowing his considerable girth with ease until his pretty lips are tucked around the base of his cock. 

“Oh fuck, oh fuck, Jaskier, that’s--” he tries to say, but then Jaskier starts to purr again and the vibrations along his cock make all the words he’d planned to say dry up on his tongue. Instead, he lets out a loud moan and licks his lips, drowning in the sensation. Jaskier’s scent swirls around him and fills his nose, so thick that he feels like it’ll swallow him up. Never before has he had a lover smell this aroused, this eager for _him._ He opens his eyes just in time to see Jaskier slowly moving up, sparks dancing across his skin as Jaskier gives him a particularly hard suck. The Cat’s hips are moving, fucking down against the ground as he sucks Eskel, and if this experience wasn’t already heady enough, the top of Eskel’s head might explode like one of Lambert’s ridiculous bombs. “Please, come here, wanna taste you too, Jaskier,” he begs, groaning again when Jaskier pulls off and his cock bobs against his belly.

Jaskier’s shoving his own breeches down, hissing through his teeth as he says, “On top, it’ll be easiest on my ribs. A big strong chest like yours will do wonders to hold me up.” Once he’s naked, Eskel can’t stop staring. The thick line of hair trailing down his belly highlights the vee of his groin, down to the hard cock bobbing, long and pink and _perfect_. He shifts to straddle Eskel’s face, teasing the head of his cock along the seam of Eskel’s lips in a way that makes his mouth water. He stretches and sucks the head of Jaskier’s pretty cock into his mouth and delights in the moan he gets for his trouble. 

“That’s it, that’s it, oh, Eskel, your mouth is so perfect, want to ride your face for days,” Jaskier babbles as he feeds the length of his cock into Eskel’s mouth, who sucks and licks at him. He tastes divine, the bloom of precome on his tongue making him hungry for more. Jaskier pumps his hips and fucks down into Eskel’s mouth, but he takes it with ease and his hands come up to squeeze the gloriously rounded cheeks of Jaskier’s ass. He teases his thumb along the cleft, pushing at Jaskier’s hole just enough to make the Cat collapse on top of him with a sweet little keen. 

Jaskier takes Eskel’s cock back into his mouth with a hungry suck, bobbing in time to the movement of his hips. It creates a delicious feedback loop that has them both moaning, accompanying the filthy chorus of lewd sounds filling the clearing where they lay. Eskel’s sucking just as eagerly, laying back and letting Jaskier fuck his mouth. It’s ridiculously heady, the way that Jaskier’s cock feels sliding across his tongue, how he fills up his mouth and the way he can taste how close he is. His own hips buck up and Jaskier takes him, only taking him halfway while his clever hand twists up to meet his lips. 

They can’t last, not like this. Jaskier speeds up, taking Eskel deep again and purring around his length, making the heat curl low in his belly. He doesn’t even gag as he takes the head of Eskel’s cock deep into his throat. The soft, wet heat of Jaskier is almost enough to send him over the edge, but he’s not quite there yet, needs a little something more.

Jaskier pulls off and turns back to look at him over his shoulder, lithe hips still rolling his cock into Eskel’s mouth as he purrs, still stroking Eskel’s cock with a delicious twist around the head that him whining around his mouthful. “I’m trying to decide if I want you to come in my mouth or lay down and let you come all over me. I want to smell like you, Eskel, so that when I return to the caravan they all smell _you_ on _me,_ they know I’m claimed.” 

The idea of Jaskier joining his brothers and sisters stinking of him, rubbing Eskel’s come into his skin so they can scent him, is what finally pushes him over the edge. The pleasure coils tight behind his balls and he grunts, bucking up as pulse after pulse of come spills over Jaskier’s hand, even as the Cat leans down to lick it up with another loud purr that vibrates along Eskel’s chest.

He’s riding out the aftershocks of his orgasm before he starts sucking again, using his hands to pump Jaskier’s hips and rock his cock in and out from between his lips. He wants it so bad, wants to taste the Cat’s pleasure and drink it down, until it’s branded in his very soul and he’ll never forget it. Jaskier lets him, goes limp and moans and yowls at the way Eskel lifts him like a rag doll. His cock is twitching against Eskel’s tongue and he eagerly presses his tongue along the underside, along the bulging vein that has Jaskier writhing in his grasp. “So close, my Wolf, so close to coming all over your tongue, please,” he begs so sweetly, raking his nails along Eskel’s thighs until he hits his peak. 

Jaskier’s cock flexes in his mouth and he swallows his come greedily, eyes rolling back at the sharp, bitter taste of him that spills across his tongue. He feels the Cat shake apart in his hands, grinding down until his cock stops twitching, until there’s nothing left and he collapses down on top of Eskel once again. He lets out a sweet little groan when Eskel lifts him, letting his softening cock fall from his lips before Jaskier slides down to lay next to him on the ground. 

“You, my Wolf, are absolutely exquisite. As soon as I get my breath back, I plan on kissing you senseless,” Jaskier purrs, letting his fingers trail along the sweaty skin of Eskel’s side. “I’m sold, Aiden was right. Now I’m going to keep you forever. If you’re that good with your mouth, I can’t even begin to fathom how you are with your cock.” 

_If only you meant it_ , Eskel thinks to himself, but he chases it away so his insecurities don’t dull the afterglow of the moment. Instead, he says, “Well, if I’m lucky, maybe I’ll get to find out.” 

“Stupid wyvern and it’s stupid tail. I could have been riding that monster cock of yours. In the morning, maybe?” Jaskier shifts and climbs on top of him, scooting up to press his cold nose against the skin of Eskel’s neck. He smells sated, of lazy contentment and something warm, like fresh bread out of the oven. Eskel could drown in that smell, if he let himself. 

“If that’s what you want,” is all he says, They lay like that, for some time, until Jaskier’s stomach lets out a growl that makes them both laugh. “But first, food, I think?” 

Jaskier huffs but rolls off of him, though he plasters himself to Eskel’s naked back as he sets about spitting the hares. “Then round two. I want to ride your face properly this time. Hmm, or maybe I’ll jerk you off onto my belly, that sounds pleasant too. Or both. Why not both, my lovely Eskel?” Eskel doesn’t miss the hardening cock that’s thickening up against his back already, or the way that his own body starts responding in time. Having a lover with the same lack of recovery time and a matching stamina certainly has its upsides. 

“You’re insatiable, aren’t you?” he teases as he sets the hares to roast. He turns around and pulls the Cat into his lap, already pressing their bodies together. If a night is all he gets, then he’s going to make the most of it. Though, judging by the way Jaskier smells, he’s beginning to believe him when he says he wants to keep Eskel for good. Maybe it’s the way he keeps marking him, rubbing his face along Eskel’s neck and shoulders, or the possessive curl of his hands against Eskel’s skin. Either way, Eskel finds that he really likes it.

Jaskier grins at him, the points of his fangs visible as he rolls his hips down, pulling another groan from Eskel. “Oh darling, you haven’t seen anything yet. Just you wait until I’m in fighting shape, I’m going to ruin you.”

He can’t wait.

-END-

**Author's Note:**

> Liked it? Loved it? Let me know below in the comments or over at #eyesofshinigami0707 on Discord!


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